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| Hosta 'Halcyon' circa 1990s |
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| Hosta 'Halcyon' 30 July 2022 |
Hosta Halcyon - Elegance in Blue
Halcyon Days, which have come to mean any time of happiness and contentment, are actually the 14 days around the winter solstice. According to Greek legend, the halcyon, or kingfisher, built its floating nest around the 14th of December, during which time the gods calmed the seas for the nesting and hatching time.
The above reference from the internet is about a word we use when we look back at our own personal world in a distant past. This is particularly true now in this 21st century. Some who may be younger than my about to be 80 years say, “Those were the days,” perhaps not knowing that it was the title of a 1968 song by Mary Hopkin. The world of 1968 was one of conflict and demonstration. What were Hopkin’s better days?
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| Hosta 'Halcyon' 30 July 2022 |
Here are her lyrics:
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And think of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La la la la...
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la...
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days.
All the above is so I can write about my favourite hosta, Hosta ‘Halcyon’. I wrote about its startling beginning in this blog. In it I explain about never touching a blue hosta as your finger will remove the blue coating called bloom.
But there are other etiquettes associated with hostas and their possessive owners.
Don’t ever say to one of them, “When do you split your hostas? Could I get a piece of it?’
To begin the nomenclature split is not correct when dealing with hostas. They are divided. Anybody who has seen a Hosta ‘Sieboldiana Elegans’ in a garden knowing it has been there at least 10 years will understand the beauty of a large, mature and undivided hosta.
There are a few smaller hostas like those of the Tiara series that happily grow in pots and when they fill it they can be divided and given to friends.
I wish the American Hosta Society would consider emulating worldwide rose societies that have a denomination of roses called OGRs or Old Garden Roses. Unlike roses, hostas were not discovered really until this century and they became popular in the late 60s. Why not call those early hostas like Hosta 'Halcyon' OGHs?
Hosta people call hosta enthusiasts hostaholics. I believe I may be one.
